Zoo Day

Today we went to Southwick's Zoo in Mendon, MA. The zoo is quite large and has many great animals; lions, tigers, elephants, lots of monkeys, camels. There is a deer forest where you can walk with the deer and feed them. There are elephant and camel rides, an elephant show, kiddie rides and a playground. It is a very shady zoo too! They are opening a sky ride in August. It is open and spacious, an all around great zoo!
Frankie had a lot of trouble on the playground equipment. He climbed up the stairs and then wanted to walk across the top to a slide, and he did it so slowly and cautiously. I have never seen him take so long to walk across something. He was holding on and looking down and moving his foot an inch at a time, testing to see if there was going to be a stair. A few times, he got down on all fours and felt around to see what things were like. There were small little holes in this structure, so maybe seeing down below was throwing him off. It threw me for a loop, watching him. He looked like he could really not see much at all. It was hard for me to watch. I was on the side reassuring him that there were no stairs there and he was doing fine. But it made me feel a little sad.
As much as we like zoo, and this one was great, Frankie does not really see 90% of the animals. He has fun, because he always does, but doesn't get excited about the animals. So it was a good day, but a few challenges along the way.

Hinkley Pond and Playground

We went to Hinkley Pond again today, in Medfield, MA. It is a man made swimming pond that is chlorinated and filtered, so it is clean, and warm too. It is very shallow for young children and there is a dock to jump off. Frankie loved walking on the dock, playing in the shallow water and digging in the sand. I realized he had not really played in the sand before. Lizzy loved jumping in the water and swimming like a fish.
The beach is great too because there are some big trees, so there is always shade! Frankie did a god deal of playing in the sand in the the shade! Very relaxing for me!
We have gone to swim twice, with my sister-in-law and the cousins! The kids all have a blast! There is a also a large playground, which we have been to many times. There is a sandbox there too, playhouses and large ride on cars and trucks. Overall, a great place to take the kids to swim, or just for a day in the park.

Reflections on Lizzy

It is amazing how fast time goes. Lizzy will be 7 in September and starting first grade! Some days I cannot believe how big and grown up she is. She helps around the house and is a great helper with Frankie, making sure he does not get into mischief around the house. She can jump in the deep end and swim all the way across the pool.
I was looking at pictures of when we went to Disney World when she was 3, and she looked sooo little, it was amazing. I'm sure I'll have more to say when she does turn 7, and starts first grade. But I will enjoy the summer in the meantime. : )

Reasons for an IEP

Frankie will be 2 1/2 in November and we will start the transition/IEP process. I want him to get an IEP for a number of reasons. I am just going to list them so I can remember them and refer back.

He has trouble pointing out things/animals etc. in books.
All animals are a sheep to him.
He has trouble with stairs.
New surroundings make for more of a chance to trip and he does not want to explore as much.
He trips over the bottom of door jams.
He sometimes does not know his milk is there when it is right in front of him.
He cannot see a storybook when it is held by a teacher at the front of the room, even when he is sitting on the floor right in front of her and she is in a chair.
He needs his sunglasses and hat while outside and should not be in the sun for long periods of time.
He has trouble stacking small blocks.
Things with similar colors blend together and he has a harder time picking something out.
He would not easily be able to recognize someone across the room.
At a familiar playground, has trouble locating other pieces of playground equipment, if they are far away.
At some unfamiliar playgrounds, has trouble walking across them; will stop and put his hand down, shuffle very slowly.

Frankie is doing really well, but I still think he would benefit from an IEP, at least in the beginning so he can get the best start, that he deserves.

Happy Rainy Day!

I was sitting her while Frankie had a snack and Lizzy is at her friend's house, and the gentle rain sounds so nice! It is relaxing and calming. Sometimes I think of it as a pain when it ruins outdoor plans, but of course I know all it's benefits. But it also is peaceful. I even like thunder storms. I like to stand by the front door and watch the driving rain and hear the thunder. My kids are getting more used to them. : )
So happy rain day!

Tired

Do you ever get so tired, you feel like you can sleep all day and night and still not have caught up? This week has been that way for me, today in particular! My whole body feels exhausted and sore and I feel like I could fall asleep all day long. I know it is my fibromyalgia flaring up, but wow, it makes it that much harder to be a mom. I do well most of the day, and then bathtime hits, and pow, I am ready for the day to be over. It seems monumental to give the kids a bath and read stories before bed! But I am plugging along and since it is 9:00, I think I should go to bed. : )
Things that were great today:
2 storytimes
getting new books
Frankie going to hug Lizzy goodnight
Thinking about Lizzy jumping in the deep end of the pool and swimming all the way across!

Uplifting article

From Boston Public Schools:

Blind student – gifted violinist and computer programmer – graduates from Boston Latin School
Musical prodigy Albano Berberi of Roslindale, a visually impaired Albanian immigrant, will enroll in Wheaton College next year

June 12, 2008

BOSTON - Albano Berberi, a visually impaired student, arrived in Boston from Greece in 2001, a sixth grade student who spoke no English and was unable to read and write in Braille. This month, he is graduating from Boston Latin School as an accomplished violinist who has excelled in rigorous Advanced Placement (AP) coursework.

Determined to pursue his love of music and computers, Albano, whose family had immigrated to Greece from Albania when he was a child, quickly learned English and Braille, with the help from new assistive technology designed specifically for students who are visually impaired. In 10th grade, just four years after arriving in the U.S., Albano scored “Proficient” on the MCAS English exam and “Advanced” in MCAS Mathematics.

Albano, who lives in Roslindale, completed his senior year at Boston Latin School with a full course load that included College English, AP Music, AP Computer Science, French 4 Honors, and Pre-Calculus. Throughout high school, he devoted himself to music composition and performance while exploring his interest in computers as an academic subject and a hobby.

In the fall, Albano will enter Wheaton College, where he will major in music performance and writing, with a minor in computer science.

Siblings

I was in my EI parent group today, while Frankie was at his class; and a mom was talking about her twins and asking about potty training one at a time. The facilitator of the class mentioned that she was also a twin and how close she is to here sister.
It just got me thinking about how close Lizzy and Frankie are. I am amazed some days by their love for one another. While she is away at school, or now camp, he asks for her many times. They almost always want to play together when we are at home. She said that it was so great to have Frankie around because then she always has a playdate that does not have to go home! During the school year, she went to the children's mass at church and on topic was about loving God more than anyone else. She said to me, "It is hard to love God more than Frankie". I was so touched and felt that summed up how she feels about him, and vice versa. I told her that loving Frankie was part of loving God, and that is was nice of her to love Frankie so much.
Every day now before his nap and before bed, he will go find her and say, "Night, Lizzy". It is precious. They are always hugging each other and feel bad if one gets hurt.
They do have times where they argue over a toy or something, but I feel so happy with the bond that they have! They enjoy each others company.

Cape Cod Children's Museum

While we were on Cape Cod, we went to the Cape Cod Children's Museum in Mashpee. This was our third trip there, over the past 3 summers. I think this is a great activity while on the Cape, and good to get out of the sun. The kids, of course, love it too! This year there was a new submarine to play in, pretend to drive, etc.
The museum is one large room, with lots to do! There is a train, kitchen area, art, post office, music room, book area, science toys puzzles, dress up, a climbing boat, mind bender puzzles and others I have forgotten. There is another separate room with special art projects with someone facilitating. On weekday mornings, there are other group activities such as; crafts, games, storytime and sing alongs. The museum has clean bathrooms, a changing/nursing area and a gift shop. At $6 per person over 1, it is a good deal too. I highly recommend this as a great "shade" activity while on Cape Cod.
Another great Cape activity that we enjoy is the Woods Hole Science Aquarium.

The Beach

We have braved the beach with Frankie a few times this summer, so far! I have always LOVED the beach and ocean. I went to Wildwood, NJ, as a kid, every summer with my family. The ocean, waves, sand, rides, salt air, fried fish, I love all of it! We started going to Falmouth, Cape Cod when lizzy was a baby and really enjoy that too. Since Frankie has been born the beach has been a bit more of a challenge. The sun bothers his eyes, and of course the thought of sunburn. But last weekend we went to Dennis, Cape Cod, and we went to the beach twice. We got there on Friday and went to the beach later in the afternoon, around 4:30. I think it was a much better time to go as far as the sun goes. I felt a little more relaxed that the sun was not as strong. Frankie still stayed under the umbrella, but had a great time and loved the sand. Lizzy, like me, loves everything about the beach! She loves to swim in the waves most of the time! We went another day and brought along a sun shade tent. Frankie enjoyed being in it and had snacks in there and dug in the sand. We didn't stay too long, but it was an enjoyable time!

New Eyes for the Needy

Our town has Monday night concerts in the summer, and there is usually some fundraising involved. This year people can bring their old glasses to donate to New Eyes for the Needy. These can be donated to people in other countries, or parts can be sold for money for new glasses. Monetary donations are also accepted. So next week I am definitely bringing my 2 old pairs of glasses!

New Info and Websites

Frankie's EI teacher gave me a site to look over for IEP information, the Federation for Children with Special Needs. There is a lot of great resources on it. Frankie will be 2 and 1/2 in November, so the IEP seems to be looming, and I am interested in researching more about it.

The SHADE foundation is once again this year, doing the Skating in the Shade program in Massachusetts. Children and parents can skate for free in the peak sun hours. Click here for schedule.

For some updates on us, Frankie had showed some interest in the potty; wanting to go when he gets changed, actually going on it a few times, asking about it. So we are taking it slow right now, but it is another sign of how he is growing so much!
We also don't change him on his changing table, because he figured out how to climb up on it after his nap, much to my shock! So we took the bar off that made it a changing table and now use the floor as a changing area. Without the bar, he could not pull himself up while climbing. He is such a little monkey. : )